The Indian team has reached Sri Lanka in preparation for their recently decided series against the Lankans and addressing the press, Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was asked the inevitable questions about international cricket sensation Ajantha Mendis. When asked how the Indians were preparing to face Mendis, M S Dhoni indicated that the Indian players were not viewing him as a threat, since "We did well against him in ODIs, so there is no need for us to worry too much about him or any individuals. Our boys are ready to face the challenges ahead," according to the Indian captain.

However, with a characteristic guardedness, Dhoni also said that beating Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka is always difficult indicating that the boys were not going to take any of the Lankans lightly. He was quoted in the cricket news as saying "The conditions are not the same. The pitches in Sri Lanka perform differently as the match progresses. A lot depends on the toss".

Though Dhoni may say the Indian team is unconcerned about the threat from Mendis, he is certainly someone that the players will be watching out for. Ever since he burst on to the international cricket scene in April of last year, he has been someone to watch out for. He has in his arsenal, bowling variations such as off-breaks top-spinners, flippers and leg-breaks, as well as the Carrom Ball, released with a flick of his middle finger which he has made his own and popularized the world over.

Mendis was the first Sri Lankan bowler to get an eight-wicket haul on Test debut. He made international cricket news when he broke a record previously held by Indian bowler Ajit Agarkar for the fastest 50 wickets in one day internationals. Agarkar took 23 matches to reach the fifty wicket mark, whereas the Sri Lankan sensation took just 19 ODIs to get to the landmark. Commentators have nicknamed him the “mysterious bowler” and he has been hailed as a worthy successor to the wily Muralitharan. He was also awarded the Emerging Player of the Year award at the LG ICC Awards in Dubai held last year.

So whatever Dhoni may say, we at Cricket360 definitely think that the Indian players will be watching Ajantha Mendis extremely keenly!

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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